CALL FOR ARMS CONTROL

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28414, 22 October 1957, Page 15

CALL FOR ARMS CONTROL

Menzies Comments On Satellite fN.Z. Press Association—Copyright) <Rec. 8 p.m.) CANBERRA, October 21. Soviet scientists’ success in launching the first earth satellite had reinforced the need for international agreement on disarmament. the Australian Prime Minister (Mr Menzies) said today. Addressing the Federal Liberal Party council meeting. Mr Menzies said it made it more than ever necessary that the world should adopt the proposal of the Western countries that disarmament should be complete and should extend to forces and weapons of all types. It still remained a paradox of the development of atomic weapons that to get rid of these alone would increase rather than reduce the dangers of war, Mr Menzies said.

He told the council that the satellite launching was convincing proof of Soviet technological progress in the launching of objects into outer space. It should be a stern rebuke to self-satisfaction in the Western world but no cause either for panic or for hasty or improvised acceptance of new limited policies.

The Soviet controlled overwhelming conventional forces and arms which would be irresistable if not faced by the atomic power of the democracies, Mr Menzies said. There was no reason to suppose Russia would even pretend to be interested in disarmament were it not for lhe deterrent effect of the democracies’ atomic arms. The Soviet showed no sign of genuinely accepting agreement on inspection even though inspection was critical to the effective operation of a disarmament pact, 1 he added.